System and method for hvac system schedule generation based on user defined comfort level inputs

ABSTRACT

A system and method for generating a schedule for a heating, ventilation, and air-conditioning (HVAC) system based on user-defined comfort level inputs. The HVAC system includes an HVAC controller that includes an HVAC system interface usable to control one or more of the one or more HVAC components of the HVAC system and a user interface. The user interface is configured to display a comfort indication element in a comfort challenge that indicates a present comfort profile temperature set point. The comfort indication element is usable by a user of the local computing device to adjust the present comfort profile temperature set point. The HVAC controller is further configured to update a comfort profile schedule as a function of the updated present comfort profile temperature set point. Additional embodiments are described herein.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

The present application is an international patent application, andclaims the priority benefit of U.S. Application Ser. No. 62/451,005,filed Jan. 26, 2017, the text and drawings of which are herebyincorporated by reference in its entirety.

TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE DISCLOSED EMBODIMENTS

The presently disclosed embodiments generally relate to heating,ventilation, and air-conditioning (HVAC) systems, and more particularly,to a system and method for operating an HVAC system based on userdefined comfort level inputs.

BACKGROUND OF THE DISCLOSED EMBODIMENTS

Generally, programmable thermostats use several methods to save energyand money for the consumer. One example is by managing climate settingsbased on a user-programmed schedule for heating and cooling of astructure, such as a residential structure. However, the programming ofsuch schedules can be complicated. Additionally, the temperature setpoints of the schedules are typically predicated on a temperaturesetting or range that is based on an anticipated comfort level (i.e., ata particular temperature set point that the user assumes they will becomfortable at) or may be rationalized by an anticipated financialincentive. For example, the user may feel cold or warm, but because thetemperature set point is set to a temperature they always have it setat, they may ignore their level of discomfort or feel the schedule istoo complicated to adjust. An ideal system should allow for ease of useschedule programming and take into account how the user feels during theday with regard to the temperature level of their residence, rather thanthe attachment associated with a numerical temperature value.

Therefore, there is a need for an improved system and method foroperating an HVAC system based on user defined comfort level inputs.

SUMMARY OF THE DISCLOSED EMBODIMENTS

In one aspect, a heating, ventilation, and air-conditioning (HVAC)system includes one or more HVAC components; an HVAC controllercommunicatively coupled to the one or more HVAC components; and a localcomputing device communicatively coupled to the HVAC controller. Thelocal computing device is configured to initiate, via a graphical userinterface (GUI) of an application presently executing on the localcomputing device, a comfort challenge, wherein to initiate the comfortchallenge comprises to operate in a seasonal challenge mode, wherein tooperate in the seasonal challenge mode comprises to not display anynumerical references indicative of temperature levels on the GUI;display, via the GUI, a comfort indication element, wherein the comfortindication element is a GUI element that indicates a present comfortprofile temperature set point and is usable by a user of the localcomputing device to select a present comfort level relative to thepresent comfort profile temperature set point.

The local computing device is additionally configured to update, inresponse to a determination that the present comfort level selected bythe user is different than the present comfort profile temperature setpoint, the present comfort profile temperature set point to a valueassociated with the present comfort level selected by the user via thecomfort indication element; transmit a message to the HVAC controllerthat includes the updated present comfort profile temperature set point,wherein the message is usable to initiate an operational action by theHVAC controller on at least one of the one or more HVAC components; andupdate a comfort profile schedule as a function of the updated presentcomfort profile temperature set point, wherein the comfort profileschedule defines an HVAC system control schedule usable by the HVACcontroller to enforce temperature thresholds via the one or more HVACcomponents.

In some embodiments, the local computing device is communicativelycoupled to the HVAC controller via one of a local area network or apersonal area network. In other embodiments, the local computing deviceis further configured to provide a notification to the HVAC controllerthat indicates the HVAC controller is to operate in the seasonalchallenge mode, and wherein the notification is usable to indicate thatthe receiver of the notification is not to display any numericalreferences indicative of temperature levels and humidity levels while inthe seasonal challenge mode. In still other embodiments, the comfortindication element includes an indicator and a plurality of ticks,wherein the plurality of ticks include a center tick and an evenlydistributed number of ticks on each side of the center tick, whereineach of the ticks is representative of an associated temperature setpoint relative to the center tick, and wherein the center tick isrepresentative of the present comfort profile temperature set point.

In some embodiments, having determined that the present comfort levelselected by the user is different than the present comfort profiletemperature set point comprises to receive an indication that the useradjusted the indicator one or more ticks away from the center tick. Inother embodiments, each of the ticks to the right of the center tickrepresents a one degree Fahrenheit decrement relative to the number ofticks between the respective tick and the center tick and wherein eachof the ticks to the left of the center tick represents a one degreeFahrenheit increment relative to the number of ticks between therespective tick and the center tick. In still other embodiments, thelocal computing device is further configured to display, via the GUI andafter an elapsed period of time, a proposed comfort profile schedule forthe seasonal challenge mode, wherein the proposed comfort profileschedule identifies an optional HVAC system control schedule selectableby the user for use by the HVAC controller to enforce temperaturethresholds via the one or more HVAC components.

In some embodiments, the local computing device is further configured to(i) determine whether the updated present comfort profile temperatureset point has been reached and (ii) prompt the user, via the GUI thatincludes the comfort indication element, to indicate a new presentcomfort level relative to the updated present comfort profiletemperature set point. In other embodiments, the local computing deviceis communicatively coupled to the HVAC controller via a remote computingdevice, wherein the remote computing device is communicatively coupledto each of the local computing device and the HVAC controller via a widearea network. In still other embodiments, to transmit the message to theHVAC controller that includes the updated present comfort profiletemperature set point comprises to transmit the message to the remotecomputing device for storage of the updated present comfort profiletemperature set point and subsequent transmission to the HVACcontroller.

In another aspect, a method includes generating a schedule for aheating, ventilation, and air-conditioning (HVAC) system based onuser-defined comfort level inputs, the HVAC system comprising an HVACcontroller communicatively coupled to one or more HVAC components and alocal computing device communicatively coupled to the HVAC controller.The method includes initiating, via a graphical user interface (GUI) ofan application presently executing on the local computing device, acomfort challenge, wherein initiating the comfort challenge comprisesoperating in a seasonal challenge mode, and wherein operating in theseasonal challenge mode comprises not displaying any numericalreferences indicative of temperature levels and humidity levels on theGUI; and displaying, via the GUI, a comfort indication element, whereinthe comfort indication element is a GUI element that indicates a presentcomfort profile temperature set point and is usable by a user of thelocal computing device to select a present comfort level relative to thepresent comfort profile temperature set point.

The method additionally includes updating, by the local computing deviceand in response to determining that the present comfort level selectedby the user is different than the present comfort profile temperatureset point, the present comfort profile temperature set point to a valueassociated with the present comfort level selected by the user via thecomfort indication element; transmitting, by the local computing device,a message to the HVAC controller that includes the updated presentcomfort profile temperature set point, wherein the massage is usable toinitiate an operational action by the HVAC controller on at least one ofthe one or more HVAC components; and updating, by the local computingdevice, a comfort profile schedule as a function of the updated presentcomfort profile temperature set point wherein the comfort profileschedule defines an HVAC system control schedule usable by the HVACcontroller to enforce temperature thresholds via the one or more HVACcomponents.

In some embodiments, the local computing device is communicativelycoupled to the HVAC controller via one of a local area network or apersonal area network. In other embodiments, the method further includesproviding, by the local computing device, a notification to the HVACcontroller that indicates the HVAC controller is to operate in theseasonal challenge mode, and wherein the notification is usable toindicate that the receiver of the notification is not to display anynumerical references indicative of temperature levels and humiditylevels while in the seasonal challenge mode.

In still other embodiments, displaying the comfort indication elementincludes displaying an indicator and a plurality of ticks, wherein theplurality of ticks include a center tick and an evenly distributednumber of ticks on each side of the center tick, wherein each of theticks is representative of an associated temperature set point relativeto the center tick, and wherein the center tick is representative of thepresent comfort profile temperature set point.

In some embodiments, determining that the present comfort level selectedby the user is different than the present comfort profile temperatureset point comprises receiving an indication that the user adjusted theindicator one or more ticks away from the center tick. In otherembodiments, each of the ticks to the right of the center tickrepresents a one degree Fahrenheit decrement relative to the number ofticks between the respective tick and the center tick and wherein eachof the ticks to the left of the center tick represents a one degreeFahrenheit increment relative to the number of ticks between therespective tick and the center tick.

In some embodiments, the method additionally includes displaying, viathe GUI and after an elapsed period of time, a proposed comfort profileschedule for the seasonal challenge mode, wherein the proposed comfortprofile schedule identifies an optional HVAC system control scheduleselectable by the user for use by the HVAC controller to enforcetemperature thresholds via the one or more HVAC components. In otherembodiments, determining whether the updated present comfort profiletemperature set point has been reached; and prompting, via the GUI thatincludes the comfort indication element, the user to indicate a newpresent comfort level relative to the updated present comfort profiletemperature set point.

In still other embodiments, the local computing device iscommunicatively coupled to the HVAC controller via a remote computingdevice, and wherein the remote computing device is communicativelycoupled to each of the local computing device and the HVAC controller.In yet other embodiments, transmitting the message to the HVACcontroller that includes the updated present comfort profile temperatureset point comprises transmitting the message to the remote computingdevice for storage of the updated present comfort profile temperatureset point and subsequent transmission to the HVAC controller.

In yet another aspect, a heating, ventilation, and air-conditioning(HVAC) controller for generating a schedule for an HVAC system based onuser-defined comfort level inputs includes an HVAC system interfaceusable to enable communicative coupling to one or more HVAC componentsof the HVAC system; and a user interface. The user interface isconfigured to initiate, via a graphical user interface (GUI) of anapplication presently executing on the user interface, a comfortchallenge, wherein to initiate the comfort challenge comprises tooperate in a seasonal challenge mode, wherein to operate in the seasonalchallenge mode comprises to not display any numerical referencesindicative of temperature levels on the GUI; and display, via the GUI, acomfort indication element, wherein the comfort indication element is aGUI element that indicates a present comfort profile temperature setpoint and is usable by a user of the local computing device to select apresent comfort level relative to the present comfort profiletemperature set point.

The user interface is additionally configured to update, in response toa determination that the present comfort level selected by the user isdifferent than the present comfort profile temperature set point, thepresent comfort profile temperature set point to a value associated withthe present comfort level selected by the user via the comfortindication element; transmit a message to one or more of the one or moreHVAC components, wherein the message includes the updated presentcomfort profile temperature set point, and wherein the message is usableto initiate an operational action by the receiving one or more HVACcomponents; and update a comfort profile schedule as a function of theupdated present comfort profile temperature set point, wherein thecomfort profile schedule defines an HVAC system control schedule usableby the HVAC controller to enforce temperature thresholds via the one ormore HVAC components.

In some embodiments, the HVAC controller is further configured toreceive a message from a local computing device communicatively coupledto the HVAC controller, wherein the message includes updated comfortprofile information; and transmit, as a function of the updated comfortprofile information, a command to one or more of the one or more HVACcomponents, wherein the message includes a command usable by thereceiving one or more HVAC components to perform an operational action.

In some embodiments, the HVAC controller is further configured toreceive an operating mode notification from a local computing devicecommunicatively coupled to the HVAC controller; and initiate, inresponse to a determination that the notification indicates the HVACcontroller has been placed into seasonal challenge mode, the comfortchallenge. In other embodiments, the comfort indication element includesan indicator and a plurality of ticks, wherein the plurality of ticksinclude a center tick and an evenly distributed number of ticks on eachside of the center tick, wherein each of the ticks is representative ofan associated temperature set point relative to the center tick, andwherein the center tick is representative of the present comfort profiletemperature set point. In still other embodiments, having determinedthat the present comfort level selected by the user is different thanthe present comfort profile temperature set point comprises to receivean indication that the user adjusted the indicator one or more ticksaway from the center tick. In yet other embodiments, each of the ticksto the right of the center tick represents a one degree Fahrenheitdecrement relative to the number of ticks between the respective tickand the center tick and wherein each of the ticks to the left of thecenter tick represents a one degree Fahrenheit increment relative to thenumber of ticks between the respective tick and the center tick.

In some embodiments, the HVAC controller is further configured todisplay, via the GUI and after an elapsed duration of time, a proposedcomfort profile schedule for the seasonal challenge mode, wherein theproposed comfort profile schedule identifies an optional HVAC systemcontrol schedule selectable by the user and usable by the HVACcontroller to enforce temperature thresholds via the one or more HVACcomponents. In other embodiments, the HVAC controller is communicativelycoupled to the local computing device via a remote computing device, andwherein to update the comfort profile schedule as a function of theupdated present comfort profile temperature set point comprises totransmit a message to the remote computing device, wherein the messageis usable by the remote computing device to update the present comfortprofile temperature set point.

In some embodiments, the HVAC controller further includes one or moresensors usable to detect a present condition of an environment in whichthe HVAC controller is integrated wherein the HVAC controller is furtherconfigured to (i) receive information from the one or more sensors, (ii)determine whether the updated present comfort profile temperature setpoint has been reached as a function of the information received fromthe one or more sensors and (iii) prompt the user, via the GUI thatincludes the comfort indication element, to indicate a new presentcomfort level relative to the updated present comfort profiletemperature set point. In some embodiments, the HVAC controller isfurther configured to (i) determine a present condition of the as afunction of information received from the one or more sensors and (ii)transmit, in response to a determination that the present conditionviolates a threshold, a message to one or more of the one or more HVACcomponents, wherein the message includes a command usable by thereceiving one or more HVAC components to perform an operational action.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The embodiments and other features, advantages and disclosures containedherein, and the manner of attaining them, will become apparent and thepresent disclosure will be better understood by reference to thefollowing description of various exemplary embodiments of the presentdisclosure taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein:

FIG. 1 is a schematic block diagram of a heating, ventilation, and air-conditioning (HVAC) system for generating a schedule for the HVAC systembased on user defined comfort level inputs that includes an HVACcontroller communicatively coupled to one or more HVAC components and alocal computing device;

FIG. 2 is a block diagram of an illustrative embodiment of the HVACcontroller of the system of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a schematic flow diagram of a method for generating a schedulefor the HVAC system of FIG. 1 based on user defined comfort levelinputs;

FIGS. 4A-4C show an illustrative interface for setting user definedcomfort level inputs using the comfort indication element in a comfortchallenge mode;

FIGS. 5 and 6 show illustrative interfaces for setting user definedcomfort level inputs in a comfort challenge mode;

FIG. 7 shows an illustrative interface for accessing reports of theresults of the comfort challenge; and

FIGS. 8 and 9 show illustrative interfaces for reviewing the reports ofthe results of the comfort challenge based on the user defined comfortlevel inputs received over the course of the comfort challenge.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DISCLOSED EMBODIMENTS

For the purposes of promoting an understanding of the principles of thepresent disclosure, reference will now be made to the embodimentsillustrated in the drawings, and specific language will be used todescribe the same. It will nevertheless be understood that no limitationof the scope of this disclosure is thereby intended.

FIG. 1 illustrates a heating, ventilation, and air-conditioning (HVAC)system 100 for generating a heating and cooling schedule for the HVACsystem 100 based on user defined comfort level inputs. The HVAC system100 includes an HVAC controller 102 communicatively coupled to one ormore HVAC components 104. The HVAC controller 102 is configured totransmit control messages to the HVAC components 104, while each of HVACcomponents 104 are each configured to receive and interpret the controlmessages to provide thermal comfort and acceptable air quality within astructure 108 (e.g., a residence, an office, etc.). The HVAC controller102 may include various sensors, described in further detail below, forwhich the data received therefrom may be used to determine which controlmessages to send and when. For example, the received sensor data may becompared against one or more programmed set points (e.g., temperatureset points, humidity set points, etc.) or ranges.

In some embodiments, the HVAC controller 102 may be configured as athermostat. It should be appreciated that, in some embodiments, the HVACcontroller 102 may be configured to control other devices in addition tothe one or more HVAC components 104, such as those devices that may becontrolled by a home automation controller to name one non-limitingexample. It should be appreciated that, as shown, one or more of theHVAC components 104 may be located within the structure 108 (e.g., afurnace unit), while one or more other HVAC components 104 may belocated external to the structure 108 (e.g., an air conditioner unit).

The HVAC system 100 additionally includes a local computing device 106communicatively coupled to the HVAC controller 102. As will be describedin further detail below, the local computing device 106 is configured toreceive HVAC system 100 information from the HVAC controller 102 anddisplay the received information to a user of the local computing device106 in a visual format. To do so, as will be described in further detailbelow, an application (e.g., a client application) may be executed onthe local computing device 106 that is configured to interface directlywith the HVAC controller 102 and/or a network connected computing device(e.g., the remote computing device 112). It should be appreciated that,while the local computing device 106 of the illustrative HVAC system 100is shown within the structure 108, the local computing device 106 may beusable, in some embodiments, to interface with the HVAC controller 102(e.g., via the remote computing device 112) while the local computingdevice 106 is located external, or otherwise remote in proximity, to thestructure 108.

The local computing device 106 is additionally configured to receiveinput from the user related to one or more settings, or preferences, ofthe HVAC system and communicate the received input to the HVACcontroller 102. Accordingly, the HVAC controller 102 can take anoperational action on one or more of the HVAC components 104 as afunction of the received input. An operational action includes anyaction that can be taken by the HVAC components 104 in response tohaving received a command from the HVAC controller, such as adjusting anoperational mode, a temperature set point, a humidity set point, etc.

To facilitate the communications, the local computing device 106 mayexecute an application (i.e., an HVAC control application) that isconfigured to communicate with an application executing on the HVACcontroller 102. In some embodiments, the local computing device 106 andthe HVAC controller 102 may be in direct wireless communication (e.g.,WiFi®, Bluetooth®, ZigBee®, etc.). Alternatively, in other embodiments,the local computing device 106 and the HVAC controller 102 may beindirectly coupled. In such indirectly coupled embodiments, the localcomputing device 106 and the HVAC controller 102 may be communicativelycoupled to a remote computing device 112 via a network 110. In otherwords, the remote computing device 112 is configured to perform as anintermediary between the HVAC controller 102 and the local computingdevice 106.

In such embodiments, the remote computing device 112 is configured tostore and manage data received from both the HVAC controller 102 and thelocal computing device 106, as well as facilitate the transmission ofmessages (e.g., network packets including operational data, preferences,and settings) between the HVAC controller 102 and the local computingdevice 106. Accordingly, each of the HVAC controller 102 and the localcomputing device 106 can present data to a user that is synchronized atthe remote computing device 112. To do so, thin-client applications(e.g., a web browser, a mobile application, an application programminginterface (API) infrastructure, or other network connected software) maybe used by the HVAC controller 102 and the local computing device 106 tocommunicate with a web server program (e.g., in a client-serverarchitecture) running on the remote computing device 112.

The HVAC controller 102 may be comprised of any combination of firmware,software, hardware, and/or circuitry capable of performing the functionsdescribed herein. Referring now to FIG. 2, an embodiment of anillustrative HVAC controller 102 is shown. The illustrative HVACcontroller 102 includes a CPU 200, an input/output (I/O) controller 202,a memory 204, a network communication circuitry 206, one or more I/Operipherals 208, one or more sensors 212, and an HVAC system interface220. It should be appreciated that alternative embodiments may includeadditional, fewer, and/or alternative components to those of theillustrative HVAC controller 102, such as may be found in a typical HVACcontroller. It should be additionally appreciated that one or more ofthe illustrative components may be combined on a single system-on-a-chip(SoC) on a single integrated circuit (IC).

The CPU 200 may be embodied as any type of hardware or combination ofcircuitry capable of processing data. Accordingly, the CPU 200 mayinclude one or more processing cores (not shown) in a single-coreprocessor or a multi-core processor architecture capable of reading andexecuting program instructions. In some embodiments, the CPU 200 mayinclude cache memory (not shown) that may be integrated directly withthe CPU 200 or placed on a separate chip with a separate interconnect tothe CPU 200. It should be appreciated that, in some embodiments,pipeline logic may be used to perform software and/or hardwareoperations (e.g., network communication operations), rather thancommands issued to/from the CPU 200.

The I/O controller 202, or I/O interface, may be embodied as any type ofcomputer hardware or combination of circuitry capable of interfacingbetween input/output devices and the HVAC controller 102.Illustratively, the I/O controller 202 is configured to receiveinput/output requests from the CPU 200, and send control signals to therespective input/output devices, thereby managing the data flow to/fromthe HVAC controller 102.

The memory 204 may be embodied as any type of computer hardware orcombination of circuitry capable of holding data and instructions forprocessing. Such memory 204 may be referred to as main or primarymemory. It should be appreciated that, in some embodiments, one or morecomponents may have direct access to memory, such that certain data maybe stored via direct memory access (DMA) independently of the CPU 200.

The network communication circuitry 206 may be embodied as any type ofcomputer hardware or combination of circuitry capable of managingnetwork interfacing communications (e.g., messages, datagrams, packets,etc.) via wireless and/or wired communication modes. Accordingly, insome embodiments, the network communication circuitry 206 may include anetwork interface controller (NIC) capable of being configured toconnect the HVAC controller 102 to a computer network (e.g., the network106).

The one or more I/O peripherals 208 may be embodied as any auxiliarydevice configured to connect to and communicate with the HVAC controller102. For example, the I/O peripherals 208 may include, but are notlimited to, a touchpad, a keypad, a keyboard, a microphone, one or morebuttons, a display (e.g., a liquid crystal diode (LED) display), atouchscreen, a speaker, one or more illuminating components (e.g., lightemitting diode(s) (LEDs)), etc. Accordingly, it should be appreciatedthat some I/O devices are capable of one function (i.e., input oroutput), while others are capable of performing both functions (i.e.,input and output). The illustrative I/O peripherals 208 includes a userinterface 210, such as a touchscreen, to provide an interface to a userfor to review information of the HVAC system 100, as well as receivedirect input at the HVAC controller 102 from a user, such as may be usedfor setting/parameter manipulation. It should be appreciated, however,that such interfaces are generally restricted in size and capacity, ascompared to those of the local computing devices 106 as describedherein.

The one or more sensors 212 may include any combination of firmware,software, hardware, and/or circuitry capable of detecting a presentcondition and events/changes in the environment in which it resides(e.g., internal or external to the structure 108 in which the HVACsystem 100 is integrated). The illustrative sensors 212 includes atemperature sensor 214, a humidity sensor 216, and, in some embodiments,a presence detection sensor 218. The temperature sensor 214 may beembodied as any type of sensor capable of detecting a presenttemperature of an area surrounding the temperature sensor 214. Thehumidity sensor 216 may be embodied as any type of sensor capable ofdetecting a present humidity level. The presence detection sensor 218may be embodied as any type of sensor capable of detecting a presencewithin proximity of the presence detection sensor 218, such as may beused to determine the occupancy of the structure 108.

It should be appreciated that additional and/or alternative sensors 212may be present in other embodiments. For example, in other embodiments,the sensors 212 may include one or more of particulate sensors, carbondioxide sensors, current sensors, dew point sensors, pressure sensors,etc. It should be further appreciated that, in some embodiments, one ormore sensors located external to the HVAC controller may providemeasured data to the HVAC controller 102 (e.g., via a LAN connection).For example, in such embodiments, the sensors may be located at one ormore of the HVAC components 104 and/or another device associated withthe structure 108.

The HVAC system interface 220 may include any combination of firmware,software, hardware, and/or circuitry capable of performing the functionsdescribed herein, including transmitting control information to thevarious HVAC components 104 of the HVAC system 100 and receivinginformation therefrom. For example, the HVAC system interface 220 mayinclude one or more control boards (e.g., indoor HVAC unit controlboards, outdoor HVAC unit control boards, etc.) for interfacing with thevarious HVAC components 104 of the HVAC system 100.

Referring again to FIG. 1, the HVAC components 104 may include any typeof HVAC device capable of receiving and interpreting commands from theHVAC controller 102, including, but not limited to, one or morefurnaces, fan coils, heat pumps, geothermal heat pumps, humidifiers,dehumidifiers, indoor air quality systems, etc. Accordingly, each of theHVAC components 104 may have an internal control board and/or processorto receive and interpret such commands.

The local computing device 106 may be embodied as any type of computingdevice capable of performing the functions described herein. It shouldbe appreciated that one or more of the components of the illustrativeHVAC controller 102 may be included in the local computing device 106(e.g., a CPU, memory, an I/O controller, network communicationcircuitry, I/O peripherals, etc.). Accordingly, the like components arenot described herein to preserve clarity of the description. It shouldbe appreciated that such like components may differ based on the type ofthe local computing device 106 and that additional and/or alternativecomponents, such as those components typically associated with acomputing device, may be included in the local computing device 106. Itshould be further appreciated that some components of the HVACcontroller 102, such as the one or more sensors 212 and the HVAC systeminterface 220, may be exclusive to the HVAC controller 102.

For example, the local computing device 106 may be embodied as a mobilecomputing device, in some embodiments, that uses mobile-specifichardware and software components for operating, executing, and providingservices and applications on a mobile architecture. Illustrativeexamples of such mobile computing devices may include, but are notlimited to, smartphones, wearables (e.g., smartwatches, smart glasses,etc.), tablets, laptops, etc. In other embodiments, the local computingdevice may be a stationary computing device, such as a desktop computer,an all-in-one computer, etc.

The network 110 may be implemented as any type of wired and/or wirelessnetwork, such as a local area network (LAN), a wide area network (WAN),a global network (the Internet), etc. Accordingly, the network 110 mayinclude one or more communicatively coupled network computing devices(not shown) for facilitating the flow and processing of networkcommunication traffic via a series of interconnects. Such networkcomputing devices may include, but are not limited to, one or moreaccess points, routers, switches, servers, compute devices, storagedevices, etc.

It should be appreciated that one or more of such network computingdevices may be configured to couple to one or more of the HVACcontroller 102, the local computing device 106, and the remote computingdevice 112 of the HVAC system 100 of FIG. 1. For example, the HVACcontroller may connect to the network 110 via the network communicationcircuitry 206 using wired (e.g., Ethernet, token ring, etc.) and/orwireless (e.g., Bluetooth®, Wi-Fi®, wireless broadband, ZigB ee®, etc.)communication technologies and associated protocols.

The remote computing device 112 may be embodied as any type of computingdevice capable of performing the functions described herein, including,but not limited to, a server, a compute device, a storage device, or acombination thereof. It should be appreciated that, similar to the localcomputing device 106, the remote computing device 112 includes likecomponents to that of the illustrative HVAC controller 102 of FIG. 2(e.g., a CPU, memory, an I/O controller, a network communicationcircuitry, I/O peripherals, etc.). Accordingly, the like components arenot described herein to preserve clarity of the description. It shouldbe appreciated that such like components may differ based on the type ofthe remote computing device 112 and that additional and/or alternativecomponents, such as those components typically associated with acomputing device, may be included in the remote computing device 112. Itshould be further appreciated that some components of the HVACcontroller 102, such as the one or more sensors 212 and the HVAC systeminterface 220, may be exclusive to the HVAC controller 102.

Referring now to FIG. 3, an illustrative method 300 is provided forgenerating a heating and cooling schedule (i.e., a comfort schedule) forthe HVAC system 100 of FIG. 1 based on user defined comfort level inputsthat may be performed by the local computing device 106, or moreparticularly may be performed by an application being executed thereon.It should be appreciated that, in some embodiments, the HVAC controller102 may be configured to perform one or more of the operations of themethod 300 as described herein. Accordingly, in such embodiments, theuser interface 210 of the HVAC controller 102 may have renderingcapabilities and user interfacing capabilities similar to that of thelocal computing device 106.

It should be further appreciated that the interfaces described hereinfor facilitating the user interactions (e.g., displaying HVAC system 100related data and receiving user inputs) are graphical user interfaces(GUIs) which allow the user to interact with the application referred toherein through GUI elements, graphical images, and visual indicators.The method 300 begins in step 302 in which a comfort challenge mode isinitiated at the local computing device 106. It should be appreciatedthat the comfort challenge mode may be initiated at initial installand/or at a later point in time (e.g., automatically prompted after apredetermined period of time has elapsed, manually initiated by theuser, etc.).

To begin, in step 304, the local computing device 106 prompts the userto indicate which seasonal challenge mode the user would like toinitiate (e.g., from a list of available seasonal mode settings). Theseasonal challenge modes may include a spring challenge mode, a summerchallenge mode, a fall challenge mode, and a winter challenge mode. Insome embodiments, the user may be prompted to identify their preferenceof comfort relative to financial savings achievable by deviating fromtheir preferred level of comfort. In step 306, the local computingdevice 106 hides any numerical temperature indicators from a displayinterface (e.g., a touchscreen) of the local computing device 106. Insome embodiments, the local computing device 106 may additionally hideany numerical humidity values as well.

In step 308, the local computing device 106 prompts the user to indicatea present comfort level via a comfort indication element (see, e.g., thecomfort slider 402 of FIG. 2 described below) rendered on the displayinterface. It should be appreciated that the comfort indication elementis a rendered graphical user interface (GUI) element, or widget, in theform of an indication element that a user can interact with throughdirect manipulation (i.e., slide a handle, or indicator, along a barrelative to a center point, or center tick, to select a value associatedwith a degree of deviation from the center tick) via an interface (e.g.,a touchscreen display) of the local computing device 106.

For example, FIG. 4A shows an illustrative embodiment of a comfort levelselection interface 400 that includes an illustrative embodiment of thecomfort indication element, the comfort slider 402. While a sliderinterface element is illustratively shown, it should be appreciated thatone or more additional GUI elements may be used to perform the functionsdescribed herein, such as one or more radio button elements, buttonelements, drop-down box elements, etc. The comfort slider 402 includesan indicator 404 initially placed at the center tick 406 of the comfortslider 402. The center tick 406 is representative of a present comfortprofile temperature set point. The comfort slider 402 additionallyincludes other ticks 408 on either side of the center tick 406, each ofwhich indicate degrees of comfort level deviation from the presentcomfort level (i.e., the center tick 406).

Referring back to FIG. 3, in step 310, the local computing device 106determines whether a comfort level response has been received from theuser (i.e., in response to the prompt at step 308). If so, the method300 advances to step 312, in which the local computing device 106determines whether the present comfort level received results in atemperature set point change. In other words, the local computing device106 determines whether the received comfort level response indicates adeviation from a present comfort profile temperature set point.

For example, FIG. 4B shows in illustrative embodiment of the comfortlevel selection interface 400 in which the indicator 404 has been movedaway (i.e., two ticks to the “I feel cold” direction) from the centertick 406. In some embodiments, a deviation translation message 410 maybe presented to the user that provides some insight into what thedeviation represents. Similarly, in FIG. 4C, an illustrative embodimentof the comfort level selection interface 400 shows the indicator 404having been moved away (i.e., one tick to the “I feel warm” direction)from the center tick 406.

Referring back to FIG. 3, if the temperature set point has not changed,the method 300 branches to step 314, in which the local computing device106 indicates that the HVAC system is to continue to operate in comfortchallenge mode as described herein. Otherwise, if the temperature setpoint has changed, the method 300 branches to step 316, in which thelocal computing device 106 sets the comfort profile temperature setpoint as a function of the received comfort level response. For example,in some embodiments, referring again to FIGS. 4A-C, each of the otherticks 408 may represent one degree (e.g., in Fahrenheit) of temperaturechange. Accordingly, if the comfort profile temperature set point inFIG. 4A indicates a temperature of 72° F., the new comfort profiletemperature set point of 4B would be 74° F. Similarly, if the comfortprofile temperature set point in FIG. 4A indicates a temperature of 72°F., the new comfort profile temperature set point of FIG. 4C would be71° F. However, it should be appreciate that such correlated temperaturechange is predicated on a comfort level of the user, not the numericdeviation of temperature from the comfort profile temperature set point.As noted previously, no reference to a numerical temperature should beindicated to the user during the comfort challenge.

As described previously, the local computing device 106 may be directlycommunicatively coupled to the HVAC controller 102 in some embodiments(e.g., via a local area connection (LAN), a personal area network (PAN),etc.), or communicatively coupled to a remote computing device 112 inother embodiments (e.g., via a wide area connection (WAN)). In suchembodiments wherein the local computing device 106 is directlycommunicatively coupled to the HVAC controller 102, the comfort profiletemperature set point may be set via a message containing the newcomfort profile temperature set point directly transmitted to the HVACcontroller 102.

However, in such embodiments wherein the remote computing device 112serves as an intermediary (i.e., each of the HVAC controller 102 and thelocal computing device 106 are communicatively coupled to the remotecomputing device 112), such as may be employed in client-serverapplications (e.g., cloud applications, network applicationssoftware-as-a-service (SaaS) applications, etc.), the local computingdevice 106 may be configured to transmit a message (e.g., a networkpacket) that includes the new comfort profile temperature set point tothe remote computing device 112. In turn, the remote computing device112 may be configured to store the comfort profile temperature set pointlocally and transmit the updated comfort profile temperature set pointto the HVAC controller 102 for which a subsequent operational action maybe initiated.

In some embodiments, the local computing device 106 may initiatetransmission of an HVAC system control command to one or more of theHVAC components 104 subsequent to having set the comfort profiletemperature set point in step 316. It should be appreciated that, insome embodiments, the transmission of the HVAC system control commandmay be initiated automatically in response to having set the comfortprofile temperature set point in step 316, rather than an explicitinstruction from the local computing device 106. However, in someembodiments, a subsequent message may be required that indicates thecomfort profile temperature set point has changed and that a respectiveoperational action is required.

Referring back to FIG. 3, in step 318, in some embodiments, the localcomputing device 106 may update a comfort profile schedule to reflectthe changed comfort profile temperature set point. The comfort profileschedule may include any information usable to define an HVAC systemcontrol schedule. In other words, the comfort profile schedule is usableby the HVAC controller 102 to determine what temperature ranges and/orthresholds are to be enforced at any given time, and to take an action(e.g., initiate an operational action by one or more of the HVACcomponents 104) in the event the HVAC controller 102 determines atemperature range or threshold is being violated (e.g., a presenttemperature is greater than, is less than, is outside of a range, etc.,the temperature range or threshold that is being enforced). For example,the comfort profile schedule may include temperature ranges to beenforced during certain times of the day, which may be distinguishedduring certain comfort profiles contained within the schedule (e.g., anaway comfort profile, a sleep comfort profile, a home comfort profile, aweekday comfort profile, a weekend comfort profile, a wake comfortprofile, etc.).

It should be appreciated that, in some embodiments, such comfort profileschedule related data and manipulation may be performed by the remotecomputing device 112 automatically upon receiving the comfort profiletemperature set point of the received comfort level response from thelocal computing device 106 in step 316. In such embodiments, asdescribed previously, the local computing device 106 may serve as justthe user interfacing computing device for presenting informationreceived from the remote computing device 112 and providing receiveduser inputs thereto. In step 320, the local computing device 106determines whether the comfort profile temperature set point has beenreached (i.e., in response to the HVAC component(s) 104 having performedin accordance with the respective HVAC system control command(s)). Forexample, to determine whether the comfort profile temperature set pointhas been reached, the local computing device 106 may have received anindication from the HVAC controller 102 (e.g., directly from the HVACcontroller 102 or via the remote computing device 112) that indicatesthe comfort profile temperature set point has been reached.

If the comfort profile temperature set point has been reached, themethod 300 advances to step 322, in which the local computing device 106prompts the user to indicate an updated present comfort level relativethe adjusted temperature (i.e., as a result of the comfort profiletemperature set point change determined in step 312). To do so, in someembodiments, in step 324, the local computing device 106 may push anotification to the user (i.e., through the HVAC control application)indicating a comfort level update is being requested. The method 300then returns to step 310 to again determine whether a comfort levelresponse has been received from the user (i.e., in response to theprompt at step 322).

It should be appreciated that the user may iterate through steps 310-322until the comfort profile temperature set point is no longer changed instep 312 for that comfort level update cycle. It should be furtherappreciated that subsequent comfort level update cycles may be initiatedbased on a detected event, such as may be triggered by an amount of timeelapsed since the last update, a time of day, etc. Accordingly, suchsubsequent comfort level update cycles may be started at step 308, sincepresumably the steps of 302-306 have already been performed (i.e.,already in comfort challenge mode). Additionally, it should beappreciated that the comfort challenge mode may be exited after aduration of time (e.g., 2 weeks, 1 month, etc.) has elapsed, at whichpoint the results of the comfort challenge can be viewed (see, e.g., thereport interfaces 800 of FIG. 8).

In some embodiments, more than one comfort profile may be used whereineach comfort profile includes a different set of temperature set points.For example, an illustrative set of comfort profiles may include a homecomfort profile, a wake comfort profile, an away comfort profile, aweekday comfort profile, a weekend comfort profile, a sleep comfortprofile, and/or the like. Referring now to FIGS. 5 and 6, illustrativeinterfaces for setting user defined comfort level inputs are shown. InFIG. 5, a sleep comfort profile settings interface 500 presents aninterface usable to identify and set sleep and wake comfort settings(i.e., in the today's settings portion 502 of the sleep comfort settingsinterface 500).

The sleep comfort settings interface 500 additionally presents thecomfort level slider 402 of FIG. 4. While the center tick 406 indicatesthe comfort profile temperature set point associated with the daytimecomfort setting, the indicator 404 represents a comfort profiletemperature set point for an evening comfort setting. Accordingly, itshould be appreciated that changing the indicator 404 sets the comfortprofile temperature set point for the evening comfort setting ratherthan changes the temperature set point associated with the daytimecomfort setting.

In FIG. 6, a wake review interface 600 presents an interface usable toreview and update comfort preferences in the comfort preferences reviewinterface 602. As shown, the comfort preferences review interface 602allows a user to review and update the sleep comfort settings (see,e.g., the sleep comfort settings interface 500 FIG. 5) and away settings(i.e., the temperature settings associated with a timeframe in which noone is expected to be present in the structure 108).

Referring now to FIGS. 7-9, illustrative interfaces for accessing areport of the comfort challenge are shown in FIG. 7 and reviewing theresults of the comfort challenge (i.e., user defined comfort levelinputs) are shown in FIGS. 8-9. It should be appreciated that thecontents of each reporting interface 800 and the availability thereofmay be based on a how far into the comfort challenge the report wasgenerated.

In FIG. 7, the comfort level selection interface 400 of FIG. 4 is shownwith an indication in a comfort report interface 700 that indicates acomfort report is ready for viewing. In some embodiments, such reportsmay be made available after regular interval thresholds (e.g., 1 day, 72hours, 1 week, etc.) have been reached. Additionally or alternatively,in some embodiments, the reports may be generated based on a userdefined preference. The illustrative comfort report interface 700includes GUI elements usable to view generated reports andnotifications.

FIG. 8 includes a number of illustrative report interfaces 800,including a comfort interface 802 and a potential savings interface 804.The comfort interface 802 provides a graphical and numericalrepresentation of the comfort profile comfort range based on thecorrelated numerical temperature range according to the comfort profiletemperature set points used while in comfort challenge mode. In someembodiments, the content of the comfort interface 802 may be based ontimes associated with a respective comfort settings/schedule (e.g., wakeup comfort settings, away comfort settings, home comfort settings, sleepcomfort settings). In other embodiments, the content of the comfortinterface 802 may be based on an aggregate of comfort profiletemperature set points over at least a portion of the course of thecomfort challenge.

FIG. 9 includes a number of illustrative report interfaces 900,including an annual savings interface 902, a schedule view interface904, and a recommendations interface 906. The annual savings interface902 includes projected seasonal savings based on the schedule generatedduring the comfort challenge. The schedule view interface 904 includes agraphical and numerical representation of the comfort profile schedulesgenerated during the comfort challenge, as well as projected savingsbased on the respective comfort profile schedules. In some embodiments,the schedule view interface 904 may include an option to use the comfortprofile schedules moving forward, to try for a predetermined duration oftime (e.g., one week, two weeks, one month, etc.), or to manually adjustthe generated comfort profile schedules. The recommendations interface906 includes one or more recommendations that can be implemented inconjunction with the comfort profile schedules, which may be based oncomfort and/or financial incentives.

While the invention has been illustrated and described in detail in thedrawings and foregoing description, the same is to be considered asillustrative and not restrictive in character, it being understood thatonly certain embodiments have been shown and described and that allchanges and modifications that come within the spirit of the inventionare desired to be protected.

What is claimed is:
 1. A heating, ventilation, and air-conditioning(HVAC) system comprising: one or more HVAC components; an HVACcontroller communicatively coupled to the one or more HVAC components;and a local computing device communicatively coupled to the HVACcontroller, wherein the local computing device is configured to:initiate, via a graphical user interface (GUI) of an applicationpresently executing on the local computing device, a comfort challenge,wherein to initiate the comfort challenge comprises to operate in aseasonal challenge mode, wherein to operate in the seasonal challengemode comprises to not display any numerical references indicative oftemperature levels on the GUI; display, via the GUI, a comfortindication element, wherein the comfort indication element is a GUIelement that indicates a present comfort profile temperature set pointand is usable by a user of the local computing device to select apresent comfort level relative to the present comfort profiletemperature set point; update, in response to a determination that thepresent comfort level selected by the user is different than the presentcomfort profile temperature set point, the present comfort profiletemperature set point to a value associated with the present comfortlevel selected by the user via the comfort indication element; transmita message to the HVAC controller that includes the updated presentcomfort profile temperature set point, wherein the message is usable toinitiate an operational action by the HVAC controller on at least one ofthe one or more HVAC components; and update a comfort profile scheduleas a function of the updated present comfort profile temperature setpoint, wherein the comfort profile schedule defines an HVAC systemcontrol schedule usable by the HVAC controller to enforce temperaturethresholds via the one or more HVAC components.
 2. The HVAC system ofclaim 1, wherein the local computing device is communicatively coupledto the HVAC controller via one of a local area network or a personalarea network.
 3. The HVAC system of claim 1, wherein the local computingdevice is further configured to provide a notification to the HVACcontroller that indicates the HVAC controller is to operate in theseasonal challenge mode, and wherein the notification is usable toindicate that the receiver of the notification is not to display anynumerical references indicative of temperature levels and humiditylevels while in the seasonal challenge mode.
 4. The HVAC system of claim1, wherein the comfort indication element includes an indicator and aplurality of ticks, wherein the plurality of ticks include a center tickand an evenly distributed number of ticks on each side of the centertick, wherein each of the ticks is representative of an associatedtemperature set point relative to the center tick, and wherein thecenter tick is representative of the present comfort profile temperatureset point.
 5. The HVAC system of claim 4, wherein having determined thatthe present comfort level selected by the user is different than thepresent comfort profile temperature set point comprises to receive anindication that the user adjusted the indicator one or more ticks awayfrom the center tick.
 6. The HVAC system of claim 4, wherein each of theticks to the right of the center tick represents a one degree Fahrenheitdecrement relative to the number of ticks between the respective tickand the center tick and wherein each of the ticks to the left of thecenter tick represents a one degree Fahrenheit increment relative to thenumber of ticks between the respective tick and the center tick.
 7. TheHVAC system of claim 1, wherein the local computing device is furtherconfigured to display, via the GUI and after an elapsed period of time,a proposed comfort profile schedule for the seasonal challenge mode,wherein the proposed comfort profile schedule identifies an optionalHVAC system control schedule selectable by the user for use by the HVACcontroller to enforce temperature thresholds via the one or more HVACcomponents.
 8. The HVAC system of claim 1, wherein the local computingdevice is further configured to (i) determine whether the updatedpresent comfort profile temperature set point has been reached and (ii)prompt the user, via the GUI that includes the comfort indicationelement, to indicate a new present comfort level relative to the updatedpresent comfort profile temperature set point.
 9. The HVAC system ofclaim 1, wherein the local computing device is communicatively coupledto the HVAC controller via a remote computing device, wherein the remotecomputing device is communicatively coupled to each of the localcomputing device and the HVAC controller via a wide area network. 10.The HVAC system of claim 9, wherein to transmit the message to the HVACcontroller that includes the updated present comfort profile temperatureset point comprises to transmit the message to the remote computingdevice for storage of the updated present comfort profile temperatureset point and subsequent transmission to the HVAC controller.
 11. Amethod for generating a schedule for a heating, ventilation, andair-conditioning (HVAC) system based on user-defined comfort levelinputs, the HVAC system comprising an HVAC controller communicativelycoupled to one or more HVAC components and a local computing devicecommunicatively coupled to the HVAC controller, the method comprising:initiating, via a graphical user interface (GUI) of an applicationpresently executing on the local computing device, a comfort challenge,wherein initiating the comfort challenge comprises operating in aseasonal challenge mode, and wherein operating in the seasonal challengemode comprises not displaying any numerical references indicative oftemperature levels and humidity levels on the GUI; displaying, via theGUI, a comfort indication element, wherein the comfort indicationelement is a GUI element that indicates a present comfort profiletemperature set point and is usable by a user of the local computingdevice to select a present comfort level relative to the present comfortprofile temperature set point; updating, by the local computing deviceand in response to determining that the present comfort level selectedby the user is different than the present comfort profile temperatureset point, the present comfort profile temperature set point to a valueassociated with the present comfort level selected by the user via thecomfort indication element; transmitting, by the local computing device,a message to the HVAC controller that includes the updated presentcomfort profile temperature set point, wherein the massage is usable toinitiate an operational action by the HVAC controller on at least one ofthe one or more HVAC components; and updating, by the local computingdevice, a comfort profile schedule as a function of the updated presentcomfort profile temperature set point wherein the comfort profileschedule defines an HVAC system control schedule usable by the HVACcontroller to enforce temperature thresholds via the one or more HVACcomponents.
 12. The method of claim 11, wherein the local computingdevice is communicatively coupled to the HVAC controller via one of alocal area network or a personal area network.
 13. The method of claim11, further comprising providing, by the local computing device, anotification to the HVAC controller that indicates the HVAC controlleris to operate in the seasonal challenge mode, and wherein thenotification is usable to indicate that the receiver of the notificationis not to display any numerical references indicative of temperaturelevels and humidity levels while in the seasonal challenge mode.
 14. Themethod of claim 11, wherein displaying the comfort indication elementincludes displaying an indicator and a plurality of ticks, wherein theplurality of ticks include a center tick and an evenly distributednumber of ticks on each side of the center tick, wherein each of theticks is representative of an associated temperature set point relativeto the center tick, and wherein the center tick is representative of thepresent comfort profile temperature set point.
 15. The method of claim14, wherein determining that the present comfort level selected by theuser is different than the present comfort profile temperature set pointcomprises receiving an indication that the user adjusted the indicatorone or more ticks away from the center tick.
 16. The method of claim 14,wherein each of the ticks to the right of the center tick represents aone degree Fahrenheit decrement relative to the number of ticks betweenthe respective tick and the center tick and wherein each of the ticks tothe left of the center tick represents a one degree Fahrenheit incrementrelative to the number of ticks between the respective tick and thecenter tick.
 17. The method of claim 11, further comprising displaying,via the GUI and after an elapsed period of time, a proposed comfortprofile schedule for the seasonal challenge mode, wherein the proposedcomfort profile schedule identifies an optional HVAC system controlschedule selectable by the user for use by the HVAC controller toenforce temperature thresholds via the one or more HVAC components. 18.The method of claim 11, further comprising: determining whether theupdated present comfort profile temperature set point has been reached;and prompting, via the GUI that includes the comfort indication element,the user to indicate a new present comfort level relative to the updatedpresent comfort profile temperature set point.
 19. The method of claim11, wherein the local computing device is communicatively coupled to theHVAC controller via a remote computing device, and wherein the remotecomputing device is communicatively coupled to each of the localcomputing device and the HVAC controller.
 20. (canceled)
 21. A heating,ventilation, and air-conditioning (HVAC) controller for generating aschedule for an HVAC system based on user-defined comfort level inputs,the HVAC controller comprising: an HVAC system interface usable toenable communicative coupling to one or more HVAC components of the HVACsystem; and a user interface to: initiate, via a graphical userinterface (GUI) of an application presently executing on the userinterface, a comfort challenge, wherein to initiate the comfortchallenge comprises to operate in a seasonal challenge mode, wherein tooperate in the seasonal challenge mode comprises to not display anynumerical references indicative of temperature levels on the GUI;display, via the GUI, a comfort indication element, wherein the comfortindication element is a GUI element that indicates a present comfortprofile temperature set point and is usable by a user of the localcomputing device to select a present comfort level relative to thepresent comfort profile temperature set point; update, in response to adetermination that the present comfort level selected by the user isdifferent than the present comfort profile temperature set point, thepresent comfort profile temperature set point to a value associated withthe present comfort level selected by the user via the comfortindication element; transmit a message to one or more of the one or moreHVAC components, wherein the message includes the updated presentcomfort profile temperature set point, and wherein the message is usableto initiate an operational action by the receiving one or more HVACcomponents; and update a comfort profile schedule as a function of theupdated present comfort profile temperature set point, wherein thecomfort profile schedule defines an HVAC system control schedule usableby the HVAC controller to enforce temperature thresholds via the one ormore HVAC components. 22.-30. (canceled)